A $1.888 million dollar judgment in favor of a Delaware bankruptcy trustee stresses the importance of careful consideration before deleting electronic records from your company’s computer system. In the case of In re Quintus Corp., 2006 WL 3072982 (Bankr.D.Del.Oct. 27, 2006), the Bankruptcy Court of the Delaware District imposed a penalty of summary judgment against
Nigut and Trout Spreading the Gospel of Lawyer Blogs
Rush Nigut and Des Moines patent attorney Brett Trout are featured in an article this week in the Des Moines Business Record for their upcoming YBlawg seminar. According to LexBlog’s Kevin O’Keefe, the seminar is believed to be the first full-day CLE devoted to lawyer blogging in the country.
The location of the
Start-Up Business Resource: Iowa Secretary of State
Perhaps often overlooked, the Iowa Secretary of State Web site is an excellent resource for the Iowa start-up entrepreneur. In the Iowa business services section of the site a business person can find information about a wide variety of topics including:
1. A guide to the most commonly formed business organization options. The guide
Judge’s Throws Out Loss of Innovation Theory in Microsoft Case
In pre-trial rulings, Polk County District Court Judge Scott Rosenberg has thrown out the "loss of innovation" damage claim alleged against Microsoft . Plaintiffs’ counsel, Roxanne Conlin, had alleged that Microsoft’s market dominance prevented other software companies from developing products that competed with Microsoft’s web browser Internet Explorer and other Microsoft products.
The Judge sided
The Race for Iowa Governor: Culver and Nussle
Next Tuesday we will elect a new Governor in Iowa. Will it be Chet Culver or Jim Nussle?
Be sure to check out both sites and examine their positions on Iowa business. Culver’s site includes a 10 point plan to promote Iowa small business, entrepreneurs and access to capital. Nussle’s site includes a plan
Don’t Overlook Estate Plan in Protecting Your Assets
In the last post I discussed incorporation and asset protection. An often overlooked area of asset protection is estate planning. My partner, Matt Gardner of Sullivan & Ward, P.C., has started a new Wealth and Estate Planning blog. In his blog Matt will discuss estate planning, probate, small business planning and asset protection.
Iowa Incorporation and Asset Protection
Many advertisements on the Internet tout the benefits of forming a corporation. The first benefit typically mentioned is that a corporation provides "limited libility". Many of these companies would have you believe that if you form your own company for $99.00 you can magically protect your assets from creditors. But asset protection is more than
Start-Up Business Resource: Entrepreneur.com
I recently had some criticisms of a recent article published on Entrepreneur.com regarding advice for business contracts but I still believe the site is an excellent resource for the business start-up and beyond.
A recent article included the 11 pitfalls of start-up. The site regularly has information on the following topics:
1. Starting a
Judge Delivers Another Blow to Microsoft in Iowa Consumer Case
Judge Scott Rosenberg delivered yet another blow to Microsoft in the Iowa consumer case when he refused to limit the size of the Iowa class-action lawsuit. Microsoft had argued the interests of volume buyers were not the same as consumers who made individual purchases. Microsoft also argued that the plaintiffs could not show "that all
Formation of Iowa Business Should Include Buy-Sell Agreement
An often neglected agreement in the formation of a small business is the buy-sell agreement. Every business that has multiple owners should consider having a buy-sell agreement. Such an agreement covers how an owner can sell shares and how to value those shares. Further, a good buy-sell agreement sets forth what happens in the